The Mobile Air Monitoring Lab (MAML) is a state-of-the-art air monitoring vehicle deployed by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) whenever the need for air monitoring arises. Reasons for deployment vary but include: monitoring air emissions from a facility; checking the constituents in the air at the request of a citizen, government official, or LDEQ staff member; qualifying or supplementing data from a local air monitoring station; or routinely as a part of LDEQ’s air monitoring mission.
The MAML helps LDEQ ensure that the air meets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), Louisiana Ambient Air Standards, and is protective of human health and the environment. If readings indicate this is not the case, LDEQ follows up to pinpoint the source(s) and potential source(s) in order to reduce any emissions found to be causing elevated readings.
The goal is to gather real-time data over an extended period, and the mobility of the MAML provides an advantage over the numerous statewide fixed location monitoring sites. Most instruments inside the MAML can continuously monitor a stream of air, providing for constant real-time data for ozone, particulate matter, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, total hydrocarbons, and mercury vapor. Readings can be viewed by technicians within about an hour.
For more information, visit the LDEQ website or contact Bob Bailey of LDEQ.
